Things they don't tell you about your year abroad...

The list goes on and on

(Honestly it never really ends, we'll do our best to keep you up-to-date)


  • Using your mobile abroad - Most UK mobile phone companies only allow you to use your phone abroad for 4 months before you start incurring charges.

  • Getting a N.I.E (Spain) - A very long process that's downplayed by most and even considered "easy" by some. That is a lie. You have to get a tax form signed at the bank to get a N.I.E, however most banks won't let you pay the tax until you have your N.I.E. Makes sense, right?

  • Spanish Sim cards - You can get a monthly contract without it being fixed term. This is super useful if you're here for less than a year.

  • Finding a kettle - Finding a kettle is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Rare, but it can happen. We had a metal kettle for the first few days that we had to heat up on the hob. We're not in the 1920s anymore, why is this still a problem?

  • University canteens - They might sound super uncool but they are cheap as chips. You can get a 3 course meal for 3 euros. Bargain.

  • Erasmus Student Network (ESN) - The ESN has unions all over Europe for most big university cities. We didn't find out about it until our second week here but it's really easy to find on Facebook by searching "ESN" followed by the name of the city you're in. They run activities and trips during the first month of uni so that you can get to know other Erasmus students. The ESN card cost 10 euros, giving you discount on trips and on other things, such as restaurants and cultural workshops.
  • Erasmus Grant - We were under the impression that the second we stepped off the plane, our lovely cushiony Erasmus grants would drop into the open arms of our Santander Student Accounts - oh how wrong we were. In order to receive your grant, you'll need to *deep breath* fill in your arrival form, fill in your learning agreement, get it signed by the co-ordinator in your host university (who, when you need to locate them, will turn into the invisible man), send it to your co-ordinator in your home university who will sign it, send all of those documents to your International Office, who will then arrange for the payment to be sent to you. 
  • Exams - We're not sure if this is the same in every foreign university, but in Granada, you can ask to sit your exams in English. This is especially useful if, like us, you understand the content of the lectures perfectly but your written Spanish isn't totally up to scratch, because it'll give you the chance to show off what you know without the fear of "is this masculine or feminine?" and "should this be in subjunctive?". If they won't allow you to sit the exams in English, they might make your exam easier or take your language level into account when marking your work, so make sure to mention this to them.
  • Cheese - This one might sound a little trivial, but if you're anything like us and love your cheesy pasta, cheesey pizza, cheesey jacket potato, cheese on toast (you get the picture), you might be horrified to find out that cheese abroad is just not the same as a mature cheddar. We can't even find cheese that melts. 
  • Traffic lights - Nothing is more annoying than running late for your 9am, only to have to wait for an eternity at every. single. pedestrian. crossing. We can't wait to get home simply to be able to push the button on a traffic light again. Ahh the little things.

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